Windows XP is probably the best O/S Microsoft has ever delivered for home or business uses but there are some ‘features’ that we could definitely do without. Below are a few of the more common irritants and how you can get rid of them.

Every time we install a new program these yellow highlights keep popping up, like virtual post-it notes telling us this or that about the program we’ve just installed. The highlights don’t know or care that we might have been installing and using this program for years, but they certainly do a fine job of obstructing the view and distracting us from our task. To remove the highlights:

Right-click on the START button, then select PROPERTIES.
Select CUSTOMIZE then the ADVANCED tab.
Remove the check marker on “Highlight Newly Installed Programs.”
Whenever an application crashes on an XP machine, the OS asks eagerly if it can send a bug report to Microsoft. We don’t know what happens to the millions (maybe even billions) of bugs that probably get reported to them daily. Perhaps someone actually reads each and every one, but personally we are

willing to lighten their load a bit. Bug reporting can be turned off as follows:
Right-click on MY COMPUTER.
Select the ADVANCED tab.
Select the ERROR REPORTING button below.
Mark the box DISABLE ERROR REPORTING.

Considering how often updates and patches come out of Redmond, having a Windows version that can automatically update itself might sound like a really good idea. On the other hand, how would you feel about your computer downloading things over the Internet whenever it ‘felt’ like it, without your knowledge or consent? As is often the case, whether this idea is good or bad just depends on your viewpoint. Here’s how updates can be disabled:

Right-click on MY COMPUTER
Click on PROPERTIES
Select the AUTOMATIC UPDATES tab
There are different options you can choose from based on your preference but you can also unmark KEEP WINDOWS UPDATED.